.25 difference in pitch is quite a bit and it can make all the difference in the world. I am currently at 3/16 reverse at 4 3/4 span. I have tried to go more forward in the thumb, but even 1/16 of an inch more forward makes me hang up and not be able to get out of the ball.. so I have stuck with 3/16 which I can get out of with no issues.

With regards to hung up thumb it seems to me that thumb pitch is nearly as relevant as thumb hole size.I understand drillers spend a bit of time checking a customer's thumb size, but I am not sure how a driller determines a suitable thumb pitch.

DG, pitches, particularly in the thumb, can be experimented with, and that's easily done these days because the driller can just put a slug in the ball, which can be drilled out when another adjustment is made.

DG, pitches, particularly in the thumb, can be experimented with, and that's easily done these days because the driller can just put a slug in the ball, which can be drilled out when another adjustment is made.

Yes, the second driller did install a thumb slug and changed the ball's original .25" forward pitch to be zero pitch.

DG, like you, I have 0 forward/reverse, and all of my balls except my spare ball have slugs. When I first had a slug, I liked the way my thumb came out of the ball so much that all of my strike balls have them now.

My first reactive resin ball was drilled zero thumb pitch and no slug. At the time I didn't realize it, but I have been squeezing the ball for years with the reverse pitch that I had in my Brunswick LT48. Switched to a reactive ball so that I might get some hook. The reactive ball's coverstock was a bit rough and I eventually tore up the back of my thumb due to the squeezing that I didn't need to do. Just a bad habit.The PSO put in a slug for me and it was much better, but I was still squeezing. Next the PSO gave me some protective HADA tape to see if that would help and, of course, it helped a bunch.It wasn't until I asked the PSO to redrill for forward thumb pitch and began to experiment with a tiered tape on the front of the thumb hole that I started to keep my thumb much straighter to clear the hole.Unfortunately it took me quite a while to retrain myself to get away from a full roller, squeezing and muscling the ball down the alley to actually allowing the ball to come of my hand cleanly and get a few revs on it. Things get better if you work at it and find yourself a good coach to work with.

I guess my real point was that thumb pitches are subject to trial, coming down to what works for you & your game. I was happy I only needed one change of pitches to get to what I'm comfortable with.

I was not so lucky. A decade, or a dozen years or so ago, the ball drillers all decided that instead of the stretched grip we had all been using for some time, people needed shorter spans. OK. But at that time they failed to realize that shorter spans require thumb pitch adjustments. When I became tired of dropping the ball, (which took longer than it should have) I did some research, dragged a ball I trusted out of the closet, and went to my driller. That summer, we replaced the slug SIX times until I got to someplace I was comfortable with. Yes, I paid for each one...it was worth it to me as an experiment.

I forget/don't have the paper work to tell my old span and pitches, but right now my thumb is 7/16" forward. Some is due to lack of flexibility in my grip fingers requiring away pitch for them. They are plenty strong, just not so flexible.

Once I was comfortable, I had them make a mold of the thumb, pitch and all. ALL the balls I have drilled since have had a copy of that mold installed. Even my spare ball. They all feel identical, and I like it that way.

my method may not be for every bowler nor driller, but it seems to have worked for me. YMMV LoL

_________________________
on hiatus until fall leagues startI have WAY too much equipmentnow generating ideas to build myself a ball rack...sheesh

I experienced the stretched finger tip grip and reverse pitched thumb hole. I suppose I was influenced by the name "Pro Shop" when I walked into a bowling center. This guy must be a professional. Never questioned them.After a number of years I decided to purchase an LT48 from a new Pro Shop. This time the young fellow asked if I'd like finger inserts. Wow! This fixed the blood blistering I had on my finger tips.Thirty years later I bought my first reactive resin ball, 300T. Asked this PSO plenty of questions. He explained that he'd use a relaxed finger tip drilling. Yea! What a difference.Problem though was that he didn't use a thumb slug and I was used to hold onto the ball with dear life fearing I'd still drop the ball as before like you mentioned. I was knuckling the ball with my muscled toss down the lane. Tore up the back of my thumb pretty badly.Switched to the slug and the PSO gave me some HADA tape for protection. Took some lessons.Been learning ever since.Interesting that you and I have some of the same balls. 300T, Hy-Road, IQ Tour 30 and the Mix (black / blue). Great minds think alike. Enjoyed your post. My grip feels like a glove now with a forward pitch thumb hole and reverse finger pitches, too!Good luck!

And, if you reverse pitch your fingers, it needs to be shortened as well.

If you don't, you will have a gap or void between your ball and your hand. This will require you to grip the ball to hold it.

The forward thumb pitch kind of offsets the shorter span. But, the old school of thought said the closer edge of the finger holes to your thumb was to be at the joint of the last knuckle. Today, the thought is to have the close edge between the 2 knuckles of your finger. So, your last knuckle centers in the hole with fingers extended and thumb in.

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